Conveying of dough and like plastic material



CONVEYING OF DOUGH AND LIKE PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed Feb. '7, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 12 i 27 a l 29 235jT/4 4 f l IA/2 Ji 1 a Zmer W415 ita L5 Oct. 7, 1947. 'A. R. PALMER CONVEYING OF DOUGH AND LIKE PLASTIC MATERIAL 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. '7, 1944 .25, PCL 122 61' @ZM gggg Oct. 7, 1947. A. R. PALMER CONVEYING OF DOUGH AND LIKE PLASTIC MATERIAL Filed Feb. 7, 1944 3 Sheets-Sheet s \wxw hw W in v (fin/$01 J1 J5? fwlmer Patented Oct. 7, 1947 CONVEYING F DOUGH AND LIKE PLASTIC MATERIAL Austin Richard Palmer, Peterborough, England, assignor to Baker Perkins Inc., Saginaw, Mich.

Application February '1, 1944, Serial No. 521,406

In Great Britain March 25, 1943 This invention relates to apparatus for conveying dough and lik plastic material, referred to herein as dough, and has for its object to provide improved means for discharging a dough piece or a group of dough pieces transverselyfrom a surface upon which they are being conveyed.

The invention is particularly suitable in connection with the automatic feeding of dough pieces to the pockets of a dough prover and the invention will be described in connection with such apparatus but is it to be understood that the invention may be utilised in connection with apparatus other than dough provers where it is necessary to discharge one or a group of dough pieces laterally from a conveying surface.

According to the invention a discharging ele ment or bar is adapted to have a bodily side- Wise reciprocating or to and fro movement imparted to it transversely of the dough conveying surface, and means are provided adapted to impart a rotary motion or a motion having an upward component to the element while it engages the dough piece (or pieces) in order to provide a lifting or rolling motion to the dough piece during the discharge stroke of the element.

The rotary motion of the bar may be positive or it may be applied by frictional engagement of the bar with a relatively stationary member during the reciprocating movement of the bar.

In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a side view of amachine according to the invention, v g

Figure 2 is a section taken at 2-2 of Figure I,

Figure 3 is an end view,

Figure 4 is a plan,

Figures 5 and 6 are side view and end view of a modified machine.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one convenient mod by way of example, as applied to a dough feed to a prover, a conveyor band I is provided extending across the face of a dough prover having pockets 2 at a position to feed dough pieces thereto. The conveyor I may be of canvas and is driven intermittently or continuously and passes over a table orsupport 3. Arranged parallel to the conveyor and adapted to reciprocate transversely across the upper conveying run thereof is transfer or feeding element such as bar or roll 4. The bar is carried by cranked or bent arms 5 which extend downwardly to a pivotal axis or shaft 6 below the conveyor and supported in bearings 1. One of the arms! or a separate arm 8 secured to the shaft 6 extends beyond the pivotal axis 6 and carries a roll 9 in 7 Claims. (01. 198-24) engagement with a rotary cam l0 adapted to cause an oscillating movement of the arms 5 and consequent reciprocation of the bar 4 across the conveyor l. Preferably, the position of the pivotal axis or shaft 6 and the length of the arms 5 is-such that the bar 4 moves across the conveyor on a rising path. The transfer bar 4 may be conveniently formed of tubular sections and is mounted upon the arms 5 by means of ball or roller bearings so that it may be rotated easily.

The diameter and the rotary movement of the bar or roll 4 on its operative or discharging stroke are such that the surface'of the bar when engaging the dough pieces has an upward movement whereby a lifting and rolling movement is imparted to the dough pieces thereby overcoming the sticking'of the dough pieces to the cone veyor l. The rotary movement of the bar may be produced in any convenient way, thus a track member suchas a web (or webs) M of canvas or other suitable material may be wrapped I around the bar 4, as on a drive wheel or pulley and may be held in contact therewith by a spring l5 or'weight attached to a free end of the web,

th'eoth'e'r end of which is anchored to a bracket IS. The bracket also supports a freely'running guide pulley 22 over which the web l4 runs. As the bar 4 moves to discharge or transfer the dough-pieces the friction between the web (or webs) l4 and the bar causes the latter to rotate clockwise, Fig. 6, the spring [5 or Weight allowing the relative travel between the web and bar. 'The free end of the spring is secured to a bracket l1. 1 r The cam is provided with an-abrupt drop 18 so that a quick feed In and return movement is imparted to the bar 4. In such case spring means l9 are necessary to overcome the action of the web spring [5 or weight. Alternatively the cam Ill may be provided with a rising path when the second spring I9 may be dispensed with. 7

'A sloping guide board 20 may be provided to bridge the space between the conveyor and the pockets 2 of the dough prover.

When relatively small dough pieces are being delivered to" the prover the action of the bar The rotary. cam I0 is mounted upon I and driven by th shaft II which is driven by chain and sprocket l2, l3. From the shaft n a drive is taken by chain and sprockets 23, 24, 25 to a shaft 26. From the shaft 26 by means of bevel gearing 21 a drive is imparted to the drum 28 of the conveyor I which drum is carried in bearings supported by the brackets 29.

Instead of pivoting the supporting bar arms 7 below the conveyor I the arms. may depend from a pivotal axis above the conveyor. Further the bar 4 may be positively driven. Thus referring to Figures 5 and 6., the. bar 4 is,

mounted in arms or levers 30 ecured to a rocky I shaft 3 I which is pivoted in bracket bearings 32; 1

Depending from the shaft'3-I is a pair of short I V arms 33 which carry a shaft adapted to be oscillated. For this purpose the shaft34. is provided with a gear wheel 35 meshing with. a toothed sector 36, which acts as a track member relatively fixed in position as a rack and pinion and shaft 34- rock with the shaft 3i, and by the engagement of the gear 35 with the fixed sector 33, the shaft 34 is revolved. This rotary movementv of the shaft 34: is imparted to the roll 4 byQthe chain 4.! and sprockets 4.2 and thus the bar 4; given a. partial rotation clockwise, Fi 2,

At. th same time as p to lift the dough pieces. the arms 30 areroscillated by the rock shaft: 3f, the bar preferably is given a rising movement relatively to the surface of theconveyor.

The drive of the cam is synchronised, with the drive of the: conveyor and prover so. that the de- 1 sired number of dough pieces are: fed to; each prover'pocket.

Iclaim: 1. Means for discharging dough or like plastic pieces from a conveying surface comprising a rotatable; element mounted for reciprocating move:-

ment bodily across, the conveying surface, and

means for bodily rotatin said rotating element during the; discharging stroke in a rising path relative. .to the conveying surface while the element-engages the dough piece, to provide ailifting action and a rolling motion thereto.

2.. Meansfordischarging. dough or like plastic pieces from a conveying surface comprising a 3 rollmounted for reciprocating movement bodily ative during. the discharge stroke for constraining said element to movement ina'risingpath relativeto the surface ofthe conveyor; means adapted to rotate said element during its discharge stroke, the rotation being in such direction that upon engagement-with thedough pieces the element. tends toslift the pieces, and while so lifting andlmoving sidewise along the rising path, impels them to roll off the conveyor surface free from downward external pressure and 7 from undesirable tendency to stick to the conveyor.

4. Means for discharging dough pieces and the like from a surface upon which they are being conveyed comprising a rotatable element mounted for bodily sidewise reciprocating movements crosswise of the conveyor surface, means adapted to rotate said element during its discharge stroke, the diameter of the element and its direction. f rotation being such that upon engagement with the dough pieces the element tends to lift the pieces; and while so lifting and movin sidewise impels them: to roll. off the conveyor surface free from downward external pressure and from undesirable tendency'to stick to the conveyor. V Means for discharging dough pieces and the like from a surface upon which they are being conveyed, comprising ajrotatable element mount ed for bodily sideWise reciprocating movement crossw'iseof the conveyor surface; means adaptedto rotate said element during its discharging stroke comprising afdri-ve wheel on the rotat f able element and. a relatively fixed track member .operativelyconnected with the wheel, the rota tion of the element being. in .such direction that upon engagement with the dough pieces the element tends to lift the pieces and to roll them ff the conveyor surface free from external downward pressure andfromundesirable tendency to stick to the conveyor. I

6.. Means for discharging dough pieces and the like from a surface upon whichthey are being conveyed.- comprising a rotatable roll element adaptedfor bodily sidewise reciprocating movement crosswise of the conveyor surface; mounting: meansffor said roll comprising oscillatable arms pivotedon an'axis below the conveyor and carrying said roll element, the. position of the axis and the length of the arms being appropriate to constrain the roll throughout the discharging strok to movement in a rising path relatively to the surface of the conveyor; means impart: ing reciprocating movement to said roll element; means adapted to rotate said roll element during its discharging stroke; such roll-rotating means comprising a web wrapped around a portion of the roll and yieldingly held at one end by spring means fastened to a fixed support, the other end of the web being anchored to another fixed support; the direction of rotation of the roll element being such that when engaging dough pieces it tends to lift them and while lifting impels them to roll ofi from the conveyor surface, freed from downward pressure and tendency to stick to the conveyor. I

' 7. Means for discharging dough pieces and the like from a. surfac upon which they are being conveyed, comprising a rotatable rollelement adapted. for bodily sidewise reciprocating movement crosswise of the conveyor surface; mounting means for said roll-comprising oscillatable armspivoted on a rock-shaft'above the conveyor. said arms" having at their lower ends bearingsfor said roll element; the position of the rock-shaft and the length of the arms being appropriate to constrain the roll throughout its discharge stroke to movement in arising path relatively to the surface'of the conveyor; actuating. means forsaid rock-shaft and the roll element, comprising short depending arms fixed to V the-rock-shaft andat their free endscarryinga revolvable shaft; means for rotating said mnemment during its discharging stroke, comprising a gear wheel fixed to said revolvable shaft and meshing with a stationary toothed sector secured to a fixed support; and. a power-driven cam-androll device adapted to oscillate the said revolvable shaft, the depending short arms, the rock-shaft, and the oscillatable roll-carrying arms; a drive operatively connecting the cam-oscillated shaft with the rotatable r011 element; the direction of rotation of the roll element being such that when engaging dough pieces it tends to lift them and while lifting impels them to roll off from the conveyor surface, free from downward pressure and tendency to stick to the conveyor.

AUSTIN RICHARD PALMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 915,542 Biertuempfel Mar. 16, 1909 1,580,670 Nagy Apr. 13, 1926 1,852,556 Cramer Apr. 5, 1932 1,890,740 Marasso Dec. 13, 1932 1,974,032 Molins Sept. 18, 1934 2,205,059 Clark June 18, 1940 2,224,735 Leary Dec. 10. 1940 

